1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a socket, and more particularly to an LED socket that makes maintenance and use of LED illuminating devices easy.
2. Description of Related Art
Illuminating devices are used in virtually every place of people's lives and various types such as incandescent bulbs, fluorescent lamps have been developed since the invention of the incandescent filament in 1878. Currently, light-emitting diodes (LEDs) have become a popular source of illumination because of their high luminescence and resultant low temperature and improved electrical efficiency and are replacing conventional illuminating devices in all kinds of applications.
With reference to FIG. 9, an example of an LED illuminating device is an LED illuminating tube (50) that comprises a transparent tube (51), two brackets (53), a circuit board (52) and multiple LEDs (54). The transparent tube (51) has two open ends. The brackets (53) are mounted respectively in the open ends of the transparent tube (51) and electrically connect to an external power resource. The circuit board (52) is mounted longitudinally in the transparent tube (51) and has a mounting surface and two ends. The ends are attached securely respectively to the brackets (53) and communicate with the power resource. The LEDs (54) are mounted securely in a line on the mounting surface of the circuit board (52), and each LED (54) has two leads (540) connected directly to the mounting surface of the circuit board (52) to conduct electricity to the LED (54).
Accordingly, individual LEDs (54) are inconvenient to detach from the circuit board (52). If one of the LEDs (54) breaks or fails, changing the broken or failed LED (54) is difficult, at best, and quite likely impossible, especially for a general consumer, which usually requires discarding and replacing the entire LED illuminating tube (50). This not only wastes LEDs, but also makes the LED illuminating devices inconvenient to use.
To overcome the shortcomings, the present invention provides an LED socket to obviate or mitigate the aforementioned problems.